Posts Tagged ‘healthy eating’
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Golden rules to keep your skin looking youthful – the best way to do this is by choosing the right di
et.
Eat your 5-a-day
Fruit and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help to protect against the cell damage caused by free radicals, which include smoking, pollution and sunlight. Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants. It is found in all fruit and vegetables but especially in citrus fruits, red peppers and kiwi fruit. Betacarotene, found in pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potatoes, and lutein, found in kale, papaya and spinach are also antioxidants.
Cut out crash diets
Repeatedly losing and regaining weight can take its toll on your skin, causing sagging, wrinkles and stretch marks. Crash diets are often short in essential vitamins, too.
Stock up on selenium
This is also a powerful antioxidant – studies suggest that a selenium-rich diet can help to protect against skin cancer, sun damage and age spots. One way to boost your intake is to eat brazil nuts, fish, shellfish and eggs.
Drink up
Even mild dehydration will cause your skin to look dry, tired and slightly grey. Drink at least six glasses of water a day – all fluids count towards your daily allowance, but water is the healthiest.
Don’t be afraid of fat
Good fats – the type found in avocados, nuts and seeds – provide essential fatty acids, which act as a natural moisturiser for your skin, keeping it supple.
Zap up your zinc
Zinc is involved in the normal functioning of the oil-producing glands in the skin, and also promotes skin healing. Zinc-rich foods include red meat, wholegrains, wheatgerm and shellfish.
Tags: 5 a day, anti-oxidants, carlow, diet, drinking, fat, fruit, healthy eating, kilkenny, low fat, nutrition, nutritional concepts, skin, vegetables, vitamins and minerals
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Monday, January 16th, 2012
Good nutrition is important all through life and particularly so when trying to become pregnant. 
It is a good idea to make any changes to your diet and fitness in plenty of time before you become pregnant (at least 3-4 months beforehand). This helps to boost your fertility and makes sure that your stores of key nutrients are at their best and that your weight is stable.
Lifestyle changes are just as important for men as for women. Obesity, alcohol intake and nutritional deficiencies can have a negative effect on both male and female fertility- so look at taking these positive steps together.
So here are some tips to achieve that healthy lifestyle and help you on your journey to become pregnant -
- Try to get to a healthy weight – follow healthy eating guidelines and exercise routines.
- Take a folic acid supplement every day – Folic acid is a B vitamin that plays a crucial role in the formation of the spinal cord and brain by helping the neural tube to close over properly. Simply start taking a 400mcg folic acid tablet every day at least 10-12 weeks before you plan to get pregnant. Continue to take it until week 12-14 of your pregnancy.
- Eat more iron rich foods – Most women in Ireland don’t eat enough iron rich foods. Including rich sources like lean red meat, chicken, turkey and oily fish several times a week will help to boost your stores. Including plenty of vitamin C from fruits and vegetables and cutting down on your tannin (tea, red wine) boosts your iron absorption.
- Calcium & Vitamin D – Good stores are needed for baby’s development and to protect mother’s bones. Be sure to eat at least 3 servings of dairy foods (milk, cheese, yoghurt) every day to meet your calcium needs. Vitamin D is found in foods like oily fish, margarines, cheese and eggs. It is also made in the skin through the action of sunlight. Just 20 minutes daylight on hands and face everyday will help to boost your stores.
- Alcohol- cut it down or cut it out – Alcohol intakes higher than the guideline of 14 units a week for women and 21units a week for men may have a negative effect on fertility for both men and women. Excessive alcohol is harmful to your baby’s development, and the early days and weeks of life (when you may not know that you are pregnant) are most sensitive to even moderate amounts of alcohol.
- Smoking- quit now – Smoking cigarettes reduces your fertility. Smoking when pregnant is harmful to your baby and is linked with low birth weight and premature birth.
Tags: activity, calories, carlow, diet, fertility, healthy eating, kilkenny, lose weight, nutrition, nutritional concepts, preconception, pregnancy, vitamins and minerals
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Monday, January 2nd, 2012
So it’s the time for New Year Resolutions again! As I researched the content for the first blog of 2012 I came across this video on the BBC website and decided to share it with you all. 
It gives us an insight into the psychological impact of sticking to New Year Resolutions. I hope this helps to keep you all on the right track. Enjoy!
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/health-12068595 >
Tags: activity, calories, carlow, diet, healthy eating, kilkenny, lose weight, new year resolution, nutrition, nutritional concepts, portion
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Monday, December 5th, 2011
Vitamins regulate a variety of essential bodily functions. They are crucial in many of our metabolic processes so that we can benefit from the energy in our foods. Vitamins are also very important in helping to build our bones, teeth, skin, blood and many other vital body tissues.
Vitamins are classified as either water soluble or fat soluble based on how they are absorbed and used by the body.
Following on from my last blog, this week we focus on the water soluble vitamins.
Water soluble (Vitamin C and all of the B vitamins): Water soluble vitamins are vitamins that our bodies do not store. These vitamins dissolve in water when they are ingested, then go into the blood stream.
The body keeps what it needs at that time, and excess amounts are excreted in the urine. Since they can’t be stored, everybody needs a continuous supply of water soluble vitamins in order to stay healthy.
In this blog, we explain the why we need each water soluble vitamin and which foods are good sources of them.
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Name
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Why do we need it?
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Where do we find it?
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Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
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It is an antioxidant, increases our immunity, and is important to help our uptake of iron. It is also used in the production of collagen, which we need for healthy skin, hair, and the cartilage in our joints.
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Many fruit and vegetables especially kiwi and citrus fruits, cranberries, guava, peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts
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Thiamine
(vitamin B1)
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Important in the processing of carbohydrates to produce energy and other metabolism processes
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Pork, wholegrain breads and brown rice, many fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals.
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Riboflavin
(vitamin B2)
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Keeps our skin and eyes healthy
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Milk, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, rice, mushrooms.
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Niacin
(vitamin B3)
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Helps to process cholesterol, which should inhibit the likelihood of heart disease, as well as in the production of energy
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Beef, pork, chicken, wheat flour, eggs, milk
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Pantothenic Acid (vitamin B5)
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Important in our metabolism processes, especially in the production of energy in cells.
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Beef, chicken, potatoes, oats, tomatoes, liver, kidneys, eggs, broccoli, wholemeal bread, brown rice, some breakfast cereals
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Vitamin B6
(pyridoxine)
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Important roles in the processing (metabolism) of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
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Fortified breakfast cereals, liver, pork, chicken, turkey, cod, wholemeal bread, brown rice, oatmeal, eggs, peanuts, some vegetables (potatoes, peppers, garlic), dried prunes and dried apricots
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Folate, Folic Acid
(vitamin B9)
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Important to ensure cell division works well, hence importance to pregnancy, where folate is also particularly crucial in the prevention of neural tube defects. Also important for red blood cell production .
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Green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, spinach, sprouts, peas), fortified breakfast cereals, chick peas (humous), yeast extract (e.g. Marmite), brown rice, some fruit (oranges and bananas)
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Vitamin B12
(cobalamin)
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Similar to folate, as it is important to cell division, red blood cell production and also for functioning of nerves.
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It originates in bacteria, yeast and microbes in soil. Plants can’t store it, so people get their B12 almost exclusively from meat, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, yeast extract (e.g. Marmite)
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Biotin
(vitamin B7)
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Important in our metabolism processes
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Liver, kidney, eggs, dried fruits (e.g. prunes, apricots)
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Tags: 5 a day, carlow, fruit, healthy eating, kilkenny, nutrition, nutritional concepts, vegetables, vitamins, water soluble
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Monday, November 21st, 2011
Vitamins regulate a variety of essential bodily functions. They are crucial in many of our metabolic processes so that we can benefit from the energy in our foods. Vitamins are also very important in helping to build our bones, teeth, skin, blood and many other vital body tissues.
Vitamins are classified as either water soluble or fat soluble based on how they are absorbed and used by the body.
This week we focus on the fat soluble vitamins. Join us in two weeks to learn more about water soluble vitamins.
Fat Soluble (Vitamins A, D, E and K): Fat soluble vitamins are those that are normally stored in the body.
When these vitamins are ingested, they dissolve in fat. In a person with a healthy digestive system, the body uses what it needs at that time and stores the rest for future use.
In this blog, we explain the why we need each fat soluble vitamin and which foods are good sources of them.
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Name
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Why do we need it?
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Where do we find it?
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Vitamin A
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It is important in helping with the moisturisation of our skin and mucous membranes (lining of the nose, eyes, throat).
Vitamin A also helps with night vision.
It is an antioxidant, which means that it protects against the effects of “free radicals” (unstable compounds that can damage healthy body cells).
Vitamin A also increases our immunity.
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It is stored in our liver, so the liver of other animals is a rich source of vitamin A.
The animal source is known as retinol, and is also found in eggs, oily fish (e.g. mackerel), butter and milk.
The main plant source of vitamin A is known as beta-carotene and is found in orange/red fruit and vegetables (e.g. carrot, sweet potato, red pepper).
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Vitamin D
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Regulates and improves the uptake of calcium and phosphate in our bodies for healthy bones and teeth.
Important for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to assist with the child’s bone development because babies can’t produce the vitamin D in their skin.
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Sunlight (we make vitamin D in our skin), oily fish, liver, fortified products (e.g. breakfast cereal, margarine), eggs, baby milk formula.
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Vitamin E
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It helps to maintain our reproductive system, nerves and muscles.
Similar to vitamin A, vitamin E is also an antioxidant.
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Nuts, seeds, plant oils (e.g. olive oil, corn oil), wheatgerm, some green leafy vegetables
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Vitamin K
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Important for helping our blood to clot properly (healing wounds) and in the formation of our bones and kidney tissues.
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Green leafy vegetables (e.g. broccoli, spinach), vegetable oils, cereals. Small amounts in pork and cheese.
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Tags: 5 a day, carlow, fat soluble, fruit, healthy eating, kilkenny, nutrition, nutritional concepts, vegetables, vitamins
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Monday, November 7th, 2011
A calorie is simply the unit that we use to measure energy.
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All foods have a ‘calorific value’ and this is simply the amount of calories (energy) that a food will supply your body when it is eaten. Food labels on packaged foods usually list the energy content in two units; one is kcals (calories) the other is in kj (joules).
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Your body needs energy to be able to fuel metabolic pathways that enable the body to work properly. We are all individuals and we have our own unique metabolic rate (this is the rate at which our body consumes calories per day). The average person’s metabolic rate is approximately 2000 calories per day.
The simple truth is that there is a ‘balance of energy’ in your body, if you burn more or less calories (through activity) than your body consumes daily (through food), you will lose or gain weight accordingly.
So how do you ‘burn’ calories?
There are a number of reasons why calories are burned in your body.
- Your body requires a certain number of calories per day to simply stay alive. This is called Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your body burns these calories to maintain the most basic functions of your body such as breathing, blood circulation and brain activity.
- The rest of the calories are ideally burned through exercise and activity. Everything you do results in you burning calories – washing up, hoovering, climbing the stairs, anything that involves movement will contribute to the total calories burned by the body.
Tags: activity, balance, calories, carlow, diet, energy, food label, healthy eating, kilkenny, nutrition, nutritional concepts
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Monday, October 24th, 2011
Preparation: 10 mins | Cook: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 255g pureed pumpkin
- 200g dark brown soft sugar
- 110ml buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl.
- Mix in the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and butter until well blended. Pour into a 9×5 inch loaf tin and smooth the top.
- Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Tags: calories, carlow, diet, halloween, healthy eating, kilkenny, nutrition, nutritional concepts, pumpkin, tasty
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Monday, October 10th, 2011
When you go to college or university it may be the first time you’ve lived away from home and been fully independent. To have enough energy to study and enjoy student life to the full you need to eat regularly and healthily!
What does a healthy balanced diet really mean?
- Eat regularly and base your meals on starchy foods
- Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
- Eat a wide variety of foods
- Try to eat less salt
- Cut down on saturated fats and sugars
- Get active and try to be a healthy weight
- Drink plenty of water
- Don’t skip breakfast
Get organised
- With some planning you can eat cheap and healthy meals on a tight budget
- Make a shopping list before you go and shop
- Watch your waste – when you buy foods that go off quickly, plan your meals carefully so it gets eaten or frozen straight away
- Vary your meals otherwise you will get bored of eating and cooking the same things over and over again
What could you have in your food cupboard?
You need to stock your cupboard and fridge with easy to cook ingredients. Suggestions of meals include:
- Soups – easy to make and nutritious especially if you add a lot of vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned).
- Pasta – it’s quick and easy to cook and prepare. Keep pasta sauces in your cupboards and add your own flavours, vegetables etc. to it
- Rice – mix cooked rice with leftover vegetables and meat
- Bread is a good source of carbohydrate. Choose wholemeal bread rather than white as it is more nutritious and filling.
- Potatoes – Baking potatoes are great value and versatile.
- Porridge oats – cheap and it’s a really filling meal to start the day with. You could add some fresh or dried fruit for variety.
- Beans and lentils – cheap to buy and a small amount goes a long way! Canned varieties can make a quick and nutritious addition to soups and stews. Lentils and beans can be used as a main meal with vegetables added. Baked beans on toast is a classic and is actually a very healthy dish, especially if you use wholemeal bread, and low fat spread.
- Vegetables and fruit – can add vegetables to curries, soups, stir fries. Canned and frozen vegetables can be used as additions to last minute meals. Fruit is excellent for a quick nutritious snack. We should be eating at least 5 pieces of fruit and vegetables per day.
- Condiments – add taste and flavour to your cooking. Keep a selection of dried herbs, spices, curry powder, vinegars, tomato sauce, soy sauce and stock cubes in your cupboard.
- Tinned tomatoes – these can form the base of all sorts of sauces, are low in fat and count as a portion of your fruit and vegetables.
- Chicken – chicken seems to be of better value if you buy in larger quantities. If you’ve got a freezer you could chop it up and freeze it in small amounts.
- Eggs – are easy to cook and versatile.
- Canned fish – Mackerel, sardines and pilchards are good sources of protein and omega 3 fatty acids.
- Milk – full of calcium and vitamins and is healthy drink at any time of the day. Choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milk for a lower fat option.
Tags: 5 a day, activity, budget, carlow, college, cooking, diet, energy, fat, fruit, healthy eating, kilkenny, low fat, nutrition, nutritional concepts, saturated fat, starchy, student, university, vegetables
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Monday, September 26th, 2011
Serves 6
Ingredients –
1 tbsp low fat spread
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g leeks, finely chopped
500g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 litre of hot vegetable stock
300ml skimmed milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method –
- Melt the low fat spread in a large, lidded, non stick saucepan and gently sauté the onion and leeks until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, parsley and hot stock and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
- Add the milk to the saucepan and reheat gently. Season to taste and serve garnished with parsley sprigs.
Tags: carlow, diet, healthy eating, kilkenny, leek, lose weight, low fat, nutrition, nutritional concepts, potato, soup, tasty, vegetables, winter
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Monday, August 29th, 2011
Eating too much fat increases amongst other things your risk of heart disease and encourages weight gain.
Research has shown that our diet generally contains too much fatty food and that we can all benefit from eating less fat.
Instead of getting our energy from starchy foods (carbohydrates) like bread and potatoes, we rely too much on foods that are high in animal fats such as red meat, butter and cheese.
Tips for reducing fat intake:
- Choose lean meat. Trim all visible fat from meat and poultry prior to cooking.
- Choose low fat milk; choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milks.
- Choose low fat yoghurts.
- Choose low fat spread.
- Fry very occasionally using olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil. Choose grilling or baking instead.
- Beware of the hidden fats in biscuits, cakes, chocolate, pastry and savoury snacks. Always read your food labels.
- Fill up on fruit and vegetables.
- Look out for low fat snacks, low fat yoghurt and fruit.
- Use oven chips rather than fried.
Tags: calories, carlow, diet, fat, food label, fruit, healthy eating, kilkenny, lose weight, low fat, nutrition, nutritional concepts, vegetables
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